Next Article →MURPHY'S LAW: Fear of Roads in AfghanistanMarch 5, 2007: Pakistan is being forced, by
Taliban attempts to invade Afghanistan from Pakistan bases, to confront
the threat of Islamic terrorism. It was the government that encouraged the
growth of Islamic radicalism in the late 1970s (when another general was
running the country), in the belief that this would break the cycle of
corruption that was crippling the government and economy. That didn't work, and
Pakistan is still trying to rid itself of the murderous Islamic terrorist
organizations that have since shown up. Worse, many senior officials of the
government and military still believe that Islamic radicalism is the solution
to the countrys problems. But those same officials are not willing to sacrifice
their careers for that belief. They will, however, be less enthusiastic when
ordered to take action against Islamic radical groups. The Islamic terrorists
recognize this situation, and are careful to avoid targeting their allies when
carry out assassination operations against Pakistani officials. President
Musharraf risks civil war if he again turns the army loose on the Pushtun
tribes along the Afghan border. But the West threatens him with far worse if a
major terrorist attack in the West is traced back to bases in
Pakistan.

March 4, 2007: In Indian Kashmir, Islamic
terrorists have demanded that cable TV companies drop foreign channels, because
these channels show un-Islamic content. The Islamic terrorists did this once
before, in 2005, and killed three cable company employees. The foreign cable
channels went off the air for a while, then came back on. This sort of thing
makes the Islamic terrorists more unpopular, but the terrorists don't seem to
care any more. Increasingly, the Islamic radicals are spending most of their
time terrorizing Moslems. The terrorists cannot afford to lose too much support
among the Moslem population, as that would severely limit their mobility, fund
raising and ability to recruit new members.

In eastern India, Maoist rebels assassinated a
prominent politician, and four others. Maoists are increasingly using such
killings to force the government to recognize rural areas where the Maoists
have basically taken over the government.

March 3, 2007: Pakistani police almost
captured Wahid Baksh, the leader of a group of Baluchi Iranian
rebels. Baluchi tribes live on both sides of the border. The Baluchi are
Sunnis, and never got along with the Shia Iranians. Iran has been pressuring
Pakistan to crack down on rebel Iranian Baluchis who maintain bases inside
Pakistan. In return, Iran will go after rebel Pakistani Baluchis who try to
hide out in Iran. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government got a migraine when
an American general mentioned, in public, that U.S. and NATO troops fire across
the border at Taliban and al Qaeda fleeing into Pakistan, and even pursue them
into Pakistan. This is true, but it's supposed to be kept quiet, as Pakistani
public opinion does not tolerate such invasions of Pakistani territory. But
because Pakistan will not stop the invasion of Afghanistan from Pakistani
territory, it has to tolerate some flexibility along the border.

March 2, 2007: In eastern Pakistan, a roadside bomb
was used in an attempt to kill a judge. The government is prosecuting the
leadership of an Islamic terrorist group that has been killing Shia Moslems for
years. The wounded judge was presiding over the trial. Islamic terrorists have
long used terrorism against government officials, in order to avoid prosecution
for their crimes. Islamic radicals are increasingly trying to impose their life
style by threatening the owners of barber shops (that cut off beards) and music
stores (that sell un-Islamic entertainment.) The terrorists are also
threatening journalists who criticize Islamic terrorism.

March 1, 2007: Pakistani police arrested
Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, and several key associates, in the southwestern
Pakistani city of Quetta. This was part of a crackdown on Afghan refugees who
are engaged in criminal activities (smuggling, drugs or the Taliban all count)
Akhund, the Taliban Minister of Defense in Afghanistan until late 2001, is
considered the number three man in the Taliban. At first, the Taliban
publicists denied that Akhund had been caught, then tried to downgrade Akhunds
stature. Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, has long been a city where Taliban
operated openly. The Baluchis are also pro-Taliban, but not as much as their
Pushtun cousins. The Baluchis want their own country, while the Pushtuns just
want to be left alone.

February 28, 2007: For the fifth time this
year, the Taliban have murdered someone along the Afghan border, and accused
them of being a spy for the Americans. This tactic is being used more
frequently by the Taliban to intimidate opponents. Some of those opponents are
informing the government, or maybe even the Americans, about what the Taliban
are up to. But most of the Taliban opponents simply don't agree with the
Taliban concept of Islam, and the need for a religious dictatorship. The
Taliban attempts to dominate tribal leaders does not go down well. For the
Pushtun on both sides of border, tribe is everything. Your tribe is your final
defense against persecution and privation. To many Pushtuns, the Taliban are a
bunch of power hungry extremists, who will kill you if you openly disagree with
them. President Musharraf has tried to avoid confronting the Taliban
threat, if only because most Pakistanis prefer to let the tribes along the
Afghan border sort out their own affairs. But in this case, one faction, the
Taliban, is also invading Afghanistan, and trying to take over that country.
This has always been a problem with the Pushtun tribes and borders. The U.S. is
rubbing Musharrafs face in this border problem. This is not very polite or
diplomatic, but neither is Pakistans attempt to just look the other way as
Pakistani tribesmen invade a neighboring country.